Travels in Southeastern Europe

The burden of the Balkans / by M. Edith Durham.

300 THE BURDEN OF THE BALKANS. hood. Here we yelled for directions to the goatherds - ruffianly-looking fellows, surrounded by wolfish hounds and armed with very long sheathknives, something like the swords of the ancient Romans. Till last year they all carried guns as well, but were then disarmed under the 'reform' scheme. Except for the folk of Klimari, all the people scattered through this part are Moslems. But the women are unveiled and work in the fields, which points to the fact that they are but recently converted, and have taken Islam in a very superficial manner; for as Zadig, a Moslem, pointed out, it is only Christians who let their wives do all the work. Over the crest of a hill the Adriatic shone suddenly with a glare of sunlight upon it, and an ultramarine island out beyond. Thalassa! I thought we had almost arrived, but we asked a shepherd, ' How far to Avlona? ' and he said, 'Three hours,' which was what they had told us at the han several hours ago. Again we struck a track. This time it was intersected by streams, and all the bridges had fallen. Oh the joys of living under the Turkish Government! But there are people who wonder why the Albanians say it is a waste of money to pay road-tax. The first gully was some Io feet deep with abrupt sides. The fallen bridge formed wobby stepping-stones by which we crossed, and, by damming the stream, made a wide, deep pool. The mules tumbled down the bank, and the leader pitched straight into the deepest part, clawed, went down on
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Title
The burden of the Balkans / by M. Edith Durham.
Author
Durham, Mary Edith, 1863-1944.
Canvas
Page 300
Publication
London :: Nelson,
[1905]
Subject terms
Eastern question (Balkan)
Balkan Peninsula -- Description and travel.

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https://name.umdl.umich.edu/ans3900.0001.001
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"The burden of the Balkans / by M. Edith Durham." In the digital collection Travels in Southeastern Europe. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/ans3900.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 1, 2025.
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